Feed mechanism for explosive-engines.



PATENTED JUNE 21, 1904.

- L. lN. WASHBURNB.

FEED MBGHANISM FOR `BXPLOSINE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 2, 1903.

' No NOBEL.

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Patented June 21, 1904.

y'PATENT OFFICE.

LESTER FQWASHBURN'E, OFVSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

EED MECHAANISKNI FOR XPLOSlVE-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters rPatent UNO. 762,965, dated June 21, 1904. i

Application leii April 2, 1903. Serial No. 150,691. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Bc it known that I, LESTER F. WASHBURNE, a citizen of the United States, residing inthe city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed Mechanism for Explosive-Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

The qualiiications required for the production of an absolutely-automatic feed for explosive-engines, which is the object of the present invention, are, first, to closely proportion the amount of feed to the work being performed by the engine, and, second, to quickly readjust any accidental change in the proportions of the explosive `mixture to be fed to the engine. The second condition re quires that the feed shall automatically distinguish between two weak explosions ofthe engine of exactly the same total power or indicator diagram area, one being weak from a lack of fuel and the other from an excess, feeding as nearly aspossible a maximum amount of fuel in theformer case and a mini` -mum or none at all in the latter case.

To comprehend the invention, reference should rbe had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Y A Figure lis a vertical sectional View of the improved feed mechanism. Fig. 2 is a side view of the said feed mechanism, and Fig. 3 a detail broken view disclosing a modified -form of the said feed mechanism.

In connection with the description of the invention it has not been deemed necessary to describe or illustrate a motor-engine, asY such is well understood. 'f l The invention desired to be protected comprises a comparatively small cylinder 1,' one ,end of which isin communication with the combustion-chamber of any suitable explosiveengine by means of the pipe connection 2. Within the cylinder l is located and works a long hollow well-fitted piston 3 and a pistonrod 4. The lower end of the said piston-rod is not connected with the piston, but rests upon p a false piston-head 5, which bears'upon an interior circular fiange or seat 6, located about the middle of the height of the piston 3.

This false head prevents the oil or hydrocarbon fedV into the cylinder I, as hereinafter described, from coming in contact with the bottom 7 of the piston, while at the same time providing a chamber 8 within the piston for preventing the heated air acting against the bottom 7 affecting the hydrocarbon fed into the cylinder 1.

The upper end of the piston-rod'4 extends beyond thecylinder l, Working through a long guide-opening 9 in cylinder-head 10 and V`through the stuliing-gland 11. The upper end of the said stem bears against the under face ofa lever 12, which lever is fulcrumed at its inner end by being secured by set-screw 13 to the rotatable rod 14. This rod works in bearings of brackets 15, upwardly projecting from the cylinder extension 16. The fulcrumed `lever 12 is held downward by the pressure of spring 17, which is attached thereto by the slide-block 18. Said spring at its lower end is held to the'slide-block l9,slidable upon the laterally-extending rod or bracket 20. Through a sleeve 2l of the slide-block 19 Worksthe'screw-bolt 22, to which the lower endv of the said spring 17 is attached. 'This screw-bolt 22 is actuated by the screw-nut 28 to increase and decrease the tension of the spring 17. By permitting an inward and outward or lateral adjustment of the tensionspring 17 the leverage of the said lever 12 in relation to `that of the piston-rod 4 may be changed to accord with the working force acting upon the piston 3, thereby avoiding the necessity of providing springs of different strength.' Y

In the upper end portion of the cylinder l is provided an inlet-port 24, which connects the interior of. the cylinder with the valve-chamber 25. l/Vith, this valve-chamber connects the supply or feed pipe 26, which pipe leads from a suitable reservoir for the hydrocarbon. The valve-chamber is control-led by a vertically-movable ball-valve 27, which seats within the valve-chamber to cut oif the supply of hydrocarbonto the inlet-port 24.

Above the valve-chamber 25 is located a second valve-chamber 28, communication between said valve-chamber-and port 24 being controlled by the vertically-movable ball-valve IOO 29. From this valve-chamber 28 leads the outlet-pipe 30, which communicates With a suitable vaporizer which connects with the explosive-engine. These valves 27 and 29 are alternately operated, as hereinafter explained, by the movement of the piston 3 within the cylinder l.

When used for the feeding of oil, the upper half of the piston 3 acts upon the oil as a pump for measuring and lifting Wherever required during the working of the engine to supply oil to the vaporizer or carbureter. The downstroke of the piston 3 creates a suction suiiiciently strong to raise or unseat the valve 27 and draw the oilfrom the supply into the cylinder 3 through the valve-chamber 25 and port 24. The quantity of oil or hydrocarbon thus admitted into the cylinder 1 is dependent'upon the stroke of the piston 3. This downward movement or stroke of the piston 3 is due to the pressure of the fulcrumed lever 12 upon the piston stem or rod 4, which pressure regulates the return of the moving piston. With each explosion ofthe engine to which the feed mechanism is connected the heated gases from the explosion-chamber thereof are forced back through the pipe 2 against the under face of the bottom 7 of the piston 3. the piston forces the same upward within the cylinder 1. As thus moved upward the oil or hydrocarbon resting Within the upper portion of the piston or cylinder is lifted and forced outward through port 24 into the pipe 28, which conveys same to the vaporizer or carbureter. The pressure of the oil or hydrocarbon v stroke the valve 29 seats itself by gravity,

and the valve 27 is raised from its seat by the suction thus created. It willbe observed that the feed of oil or hydrocarbon into the cylinder and the discharge thereof from the-cylinder into the pipe 30, leading to a vaporizer or carbureter, is entirely dependent upon the length of the strokemade by the piston. This stroke in turn is dependent upon the explosive force of the engine, as the stroke of the piston will vary in accordance as to whether the explosion is a strong one or a weak one. The quantity of hydrocarbon thus fed into the cylinder and discharged therefrom automatically varies or changes in proportion to the ex- The pressure thus acting againstA mitted into the said pipe, forming an aircushion for maintaining cool the said piston 3. This air is prevented from escaping upon a back pressure within the said pipe 2 by means of a hinged inwardly-movable valve 31. By thus checking the outlet of the air the same is forced into the cylinder 1 to act upon the piston 3 and raise the same with each explosive stroke of the engine. By adjusting the air-inlet valve 30 the air admitted into the pipe connection 2 between the cylinder 1 and the engine can be so controlled as to approximately just fill the connecting-passage with cool fresh air upon each suction strokel of the engine, thereby leaving the same in position to transmit the pressure from the following explosion to the piston 3, as described, to actuate the same to feed the hydrocarbon.

Actual practice of the described feed mechanism has demonstrated that the same permitted of easy and quick adjustment to act perfectly under all conditions of light and heavy loads upon the engine with which the same was connected and that it responded quickly to correct any increase or decrease of the fuel from its correct proportion as to air.

A mixture which is rich in hydrocarbon is slow in igniting and burning, producing low maximum pressure, while a mixture poor as to hydrocarbon ignites with such rapidity that a comparatively very high pressure is formed before the piston has had time to expand it down. As the pressure due to combustion of mixtures of the latter character subsides with a speed corresponding to that of its formation, it has been found that to take advantage of the high and initial pressure required considerable weight be given to the moving parts, so that the required momentum should continue the stroke of the feed-piston after the actuating pressure partially subsided. It is desirable, however, that the mechanism be made as light as possible, the necessary weight to perform the above-described function being procured in the form of a movable weight capable of being moved or adjusted radially in and out from a pivotal center in order to adjust the momentum as required. For this purpose an arm 32 is pivoted to the oscillatory rod 14, being held thereto by set-screw 33. To the free end of this arm is slidably secured an adjusting-weight 34. This arm may be swung into any position required to give an increased or a decreased weight to the action of the lever 12.

Where ordinary illuminating-gas is utilized as the fuel for the explosive-engine, the piston 4 is connected to the lever 12 by a yoke 35, the piston extending above the yoke and resting upon a depending stem 36 of a puppetvalve 57, which valve works Within seat 38, to cont-rol communication between the supply-pipe 39 and the feed-pipe 40, connecting with any suitable vaporizer or carbureter,

IOO

IIO

lFig. 3 of the drawings. The quantity of gas admitted into the feedpipe is controlled by the outlet area produced by the unseating of the valve 37, which is dependent upon the length of the stroke made by the piston 4.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, anddesired to be protected by Letters Patent, is-

1. An automatic hydrocarbon feed device for explosive-engines comprising a cylinder, a piston working therein, av connection between the lower portion of the cylinder and the engine whereby the piston will be elevated on the explosive stroke of the engine, mechanism for `returning the piston to its normal position upon the suction-stroke of the engine, means whereby a charge of 'cold air will be drawn into the connection between the cylinder and the engine on the suctionstroke of the engine, means for preventing the escape of cold air upon the explosive stroke of the engine, and devices actuated by the movement of the piston for controlling the low of the hydrocarbon.

2. An automatic hydrocarbon feed device for explosive-engines comprising a cylinder, a piston working therein, a connection between the lower portion of the cylinder and the engine whereby'the piston will be ele-- vated on the explosive stroke of the engine, means for returning the piston to its normal position upon the suction-stroke of the enthe suction stroke of the engine to admit a supply of cold air tothe connection and to close on .the explosive stroke of the engine to prevent the escape of the air, and devices actuated by the movement of the piston for controlling the ow of the hydrocarbon.

3.` In an automatic feed for explosive engines, a cylinder, a piston reciprocating therein, connection by which the piston is actuated upon the explosive stroke of the engine, valve mechanism operated by the stroke of the piston to control the iow of hydrocarbon, a spring-held fulcrumed lever acted upon by the piston, said lever causing the return stroke of the piston upon the suction-stroke of the engine, and a weighted arm adjustably connected to act with the fulcrumedlever.

4t, In an automatic feed for explosive engines, a casing, a cylinder in said casing, a piston working in said cylinder, means actuatedv hand.

LESTER F. VVASHBURNE.

Witnesses:

N. A. ACKER, WALTER F. VANE. 

